10 Chinese Dog Breeds

It is now the Lunar New Year, what many of us call Chinese New Year!

China has several dog breeds that originated there, from the small ones used as “sleeve dogs” to keep their owners warm, to larger fiercer guard dogs. Many were nearly lost to the world when Chairman Mao declared owning a dog as being elitist and the keeping of dogs solely as pets was outlawed.
The breeds clung on though, and it’s now common to find dogs kept as pets in China and their breeds have now spread across the world.

Pekingese

Once the sole possession of the Chinese Imperial family, the Pekingese has now spread all over the world.

Chinese Crested

Originally bred to be an invalid's companion, these are loyal little dogs.

Pug

Bred originally to be lap dogs, these guys are quite the canine clowns!!

Chow Chow

These can be slightly aloof dogs with strangers, but they are loyal to their owners.

Xiasi Quan

Highly intelligent, these are good hunting dogs with a keen sense of smell.

Shih Tzu

Their name means "little lion" but these dogs make wonderful companions.

Shar Pei

Originally bred to be hunting, herding and guarding dogs, they are now more often used as companions. The wrinkles in a lot of modern examples are now more pronounced than in the original breed and can cause health issues if taken to an extreme.

Chinese Chongqing

A breed that survived the ban on dogs in China fairly well as it was a working dog on farms mostly, but they are now considered as rare as pandas as large numbers were culled during the SARS outbreak.

Kunming

Very similar in appearance to the German Shepherd and it is used in China for many similar roles - guarding, police work, etc.

Chinese Imperial

The lion dog - but these make wonderful companions!!